Holidaymakers thronged the bus stations in the city to buy tickets for their long weekend vacation, causing traffic jams on streets and stress on transport companies.
On April 30, hundreds of vehicles leaving Ho Chi Minh City for the Mekong Delta provinces jammed road traffic, causing congestion on National Highway No.1A in Tien Giang Province.
On the same day, thousands of students, workers and residents thronged the bus stations to buy tickets to return to their hometowns.
Since early morning, thousands jostled each other to buy tickets, causing overcrowding at the East Bus Station. A similar situation prevailed at the West Bus Station. Many people were disappointed due to unavailability of bus tickets. Many had to wait until the afternoon to get seats on buses.
According to Sai Gon Giai Phong reporters, the most crowded routes were to Phan Thiet, Vung Tau, Da Lat and Nha Trang.
Since early morning yesterday, buses from HCM City to Bao Loc, Da Lat, Kon Tum and Phan Rang had been fully booked.
The flow of visitors going to entertainment places and amusement parks in the city also added to the traffic chaos. Buses were all going overloaded.
The most crowded bus routes were from An Suong Bus Station-Hung King Temple, Suoi Tien Park-Ben Thanh Market, East Bus Station-Dam Sen Park and Nha Be-West Bus Station.
Some inter-province bus routes such as HCM City-Binh Duong, Tay Ninh and dong Nai were also completely booked.
Yesterday saw many traffic jams occurring at the city gateways due to the constant flow of vehicles to and from the city. The heaviest congestion was along a section of National Highway No.1A that runs through Suoi Tien Culture Tourism Site on Hanoi Highway.
Meanwhile in Hanoi, most of the capital’s entry roads were jammed with a huge number of vehicles trying to leave the city. The heaviest congestion was on a section of the National Highway No.1A to Phap Van Street on Gie Bridge.
Many passengers complained that they could not buy tickets at the stations, so they had to board buses outside the stations and buy tickets at three times the normal price.
